Credit account



PATENTED JAN. 26, 1904.`

W. N. SWAN. CREDIT` ACCOUNT.

APPLICATION FILED M'AY 19, 11902.

N0 MODEL.

'Puff IN VEN T 0R.

V ATTORNEY.

` W TNESSES.-

` 1m: canals PETERS cn. PuomLwHo., WASHINGTON, n.13,-

, count-slips which I employ and showing items UNITED STATES` PatentedJanuary 26, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

V REGISTER COMPANY,

JERSEY.

OF COLUMBUS., OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW CREDIT ACCOUNT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. l750,557, dated January26, 1904.

i Application filed May 19, 1902. Serial No. 107.956. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILL R. SWAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Credit Accounts, ofwhichthe following is a specification. Y

My invention relates to the improvement of:

means for keeping cred it accounts; and the objects of my invention areto provide simple, convenient, and accurate ymeans whereby a merchantmaykeep atall times a concise and accurate account of transactions with anyone customer, to combinetherewith an improved construction ofaccount-envelop, and to produce other improvements, the details of,which will be more fully pointed out hereinafter. These objects Iaccomplish in the manner, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich Figure l is a face view of one of the accharged thereon. Fig. 2 isa similar accountslip, showingl the result ofthe second purchase. Fig..3 is a credit-slip. Fig. 4 is a face view ofdmy improvedaccount-containingenvelop, an with the flap turned up.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention I employ a suitably constructed envelop a,"of paper or other suitable material, upon the address-face of which Iprovide lengthwise of the envelop parallel-ruled lines the latter beingdivided into columns by transverse and preferably doubleruled lines c.These columns have their upper terminations below the upper side of theenvelop and are provided, as indicated in Fig. 4L of the drawings, withheadings, such as Data Number of slips, Amount of bill, Amount paid, andBalance. Above the columns thus headed I provide parallel horizontallines, to the left of one of which is printed the word Name and to theleft of the lower line the word Address On that end of the envelop whichis to the right of the Balance column Iprovide transverse-ruled lines d,on which are printed, respectively,

Fig. A5 is a rear side view of said envelop,

Amount of last bill, Amount of previous bills, Total amount of bills todate. These lineslead to an openinge, formed at the right of the spacecontaining the lines el.

f represents an account-slip provided with transverse parallel-ruledlines g, the right portion of which are intersected by lines it,resulting in the formation of parallel dollars and cents columns, whichextend lengthwise of the strip. .To the left of the slip is formed acolumn 71, above which is a heading Sold by. Above vthe ruled linesbetween the column-lines /L and 27 are the words Amount received, andabove the latter are hnes arranged one above the other Intended,respectively, for date, name Aof the customer, and the customersaddress.

amount.

In` order to illustrate the use of my device, we will assume that thecustomer, John Doe, first purchases goods tothe amount of tive dollarsand fifty cents. In` this case the name John Doe is written under theproper date at the head of the slip f, (indicated in Fig. 1,) togetherwith the address', while the various items of said purchase areindicated on the parallel lines g of saidl slip with the amountsopposite the same in the amount-columns to the right. The total of thisfirst purchase is then placed on the third line from thelast of theamount-columns. The account-memorandum thus produced is inserted inthe-envelop a, so that the total, which in the present instance amountsto $5.50, is displayed through the opening e of said envelop oppositethe line on which is`printed Amount of last bill. Assuming now that thesame customer afterward makes another purchase, a second account-slip,such as is indicated at 0 in Fig. 2 and which may correspond in formwith the 'amount of the last purchase, Which in the present case is iivedollars and fifty cents, is then inserted on the account-slipimmediately be- .low the total amount of said second purchase and saidsecond slip 0 inserted in the envelop ce in such position that oppositeAmount of last bill Will be seen through the opening e the figuresindicating $2.50 and opposite the space designated Amount of previousbills the gures $5.50 and opposite the Total amount of bills to date thetotal of the'amounts of both purchases, which in the present instance is$8.00. In case the customer should call and pay on his account the sumof three dollars the receipt, which is indicated at it, would be'made induplicate, one copy given to the customer and the other inserted in theenvelop c; but prior to the insertion of the copy Within the envelop theamount of balance due is indicated to the left of the shorter line n,this balance being in the present instance $5. 00, the merchants copy ofthe receipt being so inserted in said envelop as to come opposite theopening e and indicate the total amount due from said customer to date.On the face of the envelop, on the lines and in the proper columns, maybe Written at the end of a Week or month or at any other convenient timethe number of accountslips contained in the envelop, the amount of thetotal account, the amount paid thereon, the balance due, and the date ofsuch balance.

By the means described it Will readily be seen that the envelop may beemployed to contain allof the credit and receipt slips and that throughthe medium of the envelop-opening e and the lines and printed matterthereon Which lead to said opening the amount due from the customer mayalways be read through the opening, and when the last account-slip is soplaced in the envelop as to bring the footings opposite said opening notonly the balance due, but the amount of the last bill and total amountof previous bills, Will be indicated Without removal of the slip fromthe envelop. The ruled lines, columns, and headings on the face of theenvelop may be employed, if desired, to indicate the condition of theaccount at the end of each month, so thatayears record, if desired, maybe kept on the envelop. Having nov7 fully described my invention,

what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In means for keeping credit accounts, the

combination with an envelop adapted to have Written thereon the name andaddress of a customer and having an opening in itsface, and printedmatter arranged in lines on said envelop and leading to said opening, ofaccountslips adapted to contain a date,v a customers name and address,an itemized statement of articles purchased and amounts chargedtherefor, said statement adapted to indicate the total amount of thebill, total amount of previous bills, and total amount of all bills todate, said account-slip adapted to be received by the envelop so thatsaid totals Will be displayed through the envelop-opening and oppositethe proper printed matter on said ena customer and his address andparallel col- 8O umns'provided With suitably printed headings, saidenvelop having formed in itsl face near one end an opening e and linesof printed matter on the face of the envelop leading to said opening, ofaccount-slips adapted to be Vinserted Within said envelop, saidaccount-slips adapted to contain and display through saidenvelop-opening opposite the proper lines of printed matter on saidenvelop the amount of the last bill. amount of previous bills, and totalamount of bills to date, substantially as specified.

WILL R. SWAN. In presence of- C. C. SHEPHERD, P. S. KoRsHNER.

